Prohibited and Restricted Products and Listing Review in China E-Commerce

China's e-commerce law bars the online sale of goods and services that fail safety and environmental requirements, with platform fines from RMB 20,000 up to RMB 500,000 for verification failures. Understanding prohibited restricted products China ecommerce rules is essential before you list a single product.

Quick Facts

What Does Chinese Law Prohibit from Online Sale?

You cannot sell any goods or services online that fail to meet personal and property safety or environmental protection requirements, or that Chinese laws and regulations prohibit from trading. This baseline rule sits in Article 13 of the E-Commerce Law and applies to every seller and platform.

The law also imposes active duties on platforms. When a platform discovers information violating Articles 12 or 13 — covering seller qualifications and product legality — it must immediately take necessary measures and report to the competent authority, per E-Commerce Law of the PRC. Prohibited restricted products China ecommerce rules are therefore enforced not just by regulators but by the platforms themselves.

For US sellers, the practical takeaway is that "restricted" does not mean "banned with paperwork." Some categories — food, medical devices, certain advertising claims — are permitted only with licenses, filings and display obligations. Others, such as wildlife products or tobacco advertising, are prohibited outright, with criminal or heavy administrative exposure.

How Does Platform Listing Review Actually Work?

Platforms are legally required to verify seller qualifications before and during listings, not merely after complaints. Under the E-Commerce Law, platforms that fail to verify and retain seller identity, administrative licenses or other qualification information face correction orders, then fines of RMB 20,000–100,000, rising to RMB 100,000–500,000 plus possible business suspension for serious cases, per E-Commerce Law of the PRC.

This means listing review is a statutory obligation, not a courtesy check. Platforms use technical screening plus document verification, and they must act on violations they discover. A listing that passes automated review can still be removed when regulators update rules — for example, the 2023 advertising rules forced platform-wide removals of tobacco and prescription drug promotions.

For your planning, assume three layers of review: platform onboarding checks (licenses and identity), category-specific checks (food, medical devices), and ongoing monitoring (content, claims and reports). Your product documentation must satisfy all three, and prohibited restricted products China ecommerce screening is embedded in each layer.

What Are the Rules for Selling Food Online?

Food is the most tightly regulated mainstream e-commerce category, and the rules were tightened effective December 1, 2025. The Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Food Sales (SAMR Order No. 103) replaced and refined the earlier 2016 framework for platform duties.

Sellers face parallel duties. You must hold a food production or business license, or complete the prepackaged food sales filing, and sell only within your approved business scope, per Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Food Sales (SAMR Order No. 103). Your listing page must display the license or filing number, and displayed label information must match the actual product, except dynamic details like production dates.

Marketing claims are also constrained. Information on origin, ingredients and functions must be true and lawful; claims involving disease prevention or treatment are prohibited, as are false or misleading statements. Penalties are material: platforms that fail registration, review or reporting duties face RMB 50,000–500,000 fines under Food Safety Law Article 131, per Food Safety Law of the PRC. Sellers using fake or borrowed food qualifications face a warning plus RMB 10,000–30,000, rising to RMB 30,000–100,000, and RMB 100,000–200,000 where harm results.

How Are Medical Devices Regulated Online?

Medical device online sales require filing with the municipal-level drug regulator where the seller is located. Sellers complete a network sales information form and file with the districted-city medical products administration, per Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Medical Device Network Sales (2018).

The display rules are strict: certificate numbers must appear as readable text, not images. This enables regulator and consumer verification of every listed device. Note that implantable device sales information carries permanent retention expectations — a long-term compliance cost that sellers should budget for from the outset.

For US brands, the practical sequence is: obtain or confirm the device registration or filing in China, complete the network sales filing, then build listing pages that display the correct certificate numbers in text. Prohibited restricted products China ecommerce review for this category focuses on matching the displayed certificate to the exact product model.

Which Products Carry Criminal — Not Just Administrative — Risk?

Wildlife products are the clearest example where a listing decision can become a criminal matter. Under Criminal Law Article 341 and the SPC-SPP Interpretation on Wildlife Crime Cases, illegal purchase, transport or sale of nationally protected precious or endangered wildlife and their products triggers tiered penalties based on value.

Two definitions widen the net. "Purchase" includes buying for profit or personal use, and "sale" includes selling and profit-driven processing — per the SPC-SPP Interpretation on Wildlife Crime Cases. Even "three-haves" terrestrial wildlife (protected but not nationally key species) attracts criminal thresholds: illegal hunting, purchase, transport or sale for food purposes with a value of RMB 10,000 or more constitutes a serious case. Repeat offenders — those penalized administratively within 2 years — face heavier punishment.

The compliance implication is simple: never list wildlife-derived products without verified legal provenance, and treat any ambiguous sourcing as disqualifying. Value assessments vary case by case, so the exposure is not always predictable — which is precisely why platforms and regulators treat this category as zero-tolerance.

What About Pyramid Schemes and Referral-Based Selling?

Referral reward structures that Chinese law defines as pyramid selling are prohibited, and platforms hosting them face direct liability. The Prohibition of Pyramid Selling Regulations (State Council Decree No. 444) defines three prohibited forms: headhunting-based compensation, entry fees, and team-based commission structures.

Enforcement is active in e-commerce. In the Huashengriji case, the platform was found to have developed 7,247 super members, resulting in confiscation of RMB 7,542,455 plus a RMB 1,500,000 fine; in the Yamei Electronics case, 122,529 distributor agents were developed, leading to confiscation of RMB 10,787,641.55 plus a RMB 2,000,000 fine, per Guangdong Provincial Market Regulation Administration published cases. If your US brand plans referral or distributor programs in China, structure them so compensation attaches to genuine product sales to end customers, not recruitment.

What Advertising Categories Are Banned or Pre-Approved?

Two advertising prohibitions matter most for e-commerce listings. The Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising (2023) prohibits internet advertising of tobacco — explicitly including e-cigarettes — and prescription drugs. Additionally, advertisements for the "three products and one device" category (health food, formula food for special medical use, infant formula, and medical devices) must pass pre-publication review.

For listing content, this means: no tobacco or vaping promotion in any form, no prescription drug marketing to consumers, and no disease-treatment claims on food or supplement pages (aligning with the food rules above). Health food and medical device listings require reviewed ad content before publication. Build your content review workflow so that claims are checked against these categories before a listing goes live, not after a platform takedown.

What to Watch Out For

Layered liability. Platforms and sellers are both liable under separate provisions — the platform for verification and reporting failures (RMB 20,000–500,000 under the E-Commerce Law), and the seller for qualification fraud (up to RMB 100,000–200,000 for fake food credentials). Your compliance failures create exposure for your distribution partner too, which is why platforms now screen aggressively.

Retention obligations compound. Food platforms must archive qualification reviews for at least 2 years and order data for at least 3 years; medical device implant-related records face permanent retention. Budget for storage, audit trails and retrieval capability as ongoing costs, not one-time setup items.

Category rules change faster than general law. The 2025 food measures took effect December 1, 2025, refining the 2016 regime; advertising rules were updated in 2023. Verify current versions before relying on any summary — including this one. Prohibited restricted products China ecommerce lists also vary by platform, so confirm the specific platform's rule center for your category.

Cross-border does not mean exempt. Selling into China through a domestic entity, a bonded warehouse or a local distributor all trigger these rules in different ways. The wildlife criminal thresholds and pyramid scheme penalties apply regardless of where your company is incorporated.

A Five-Step Framework for Listing Compliance

1. Classify your product. Determine whether it is prohibited outright (wildlife, tobacco advertising), restricted with licenses (food, medical devices), or general merchandise. Match against the E-Commerce Law Article 13 baseline and category-specific rules.

1. Secure Chinese qualifications. For food, obtain the production/business license or prepackaged food filing; for medical devices, confirm the registration or filing certificate and complete the network sales filing with the municipal drug authority.

1. Build listing pages to display rules. Show license and certificate numbers in text form on the required pages — homepage and product level for devices, main page for food — and ensure label information matches the physical product.

1. Screen marketing claims. Remove any disease prevention or treatment language from food listings; route health food, special medical formula, infant formula and device ads through pre-publication review; confirm no tobacco, vaping or prescription drug content anywhere.

1. Set up records and monitoring. Implement 2-year qualification archives and 3-year order data retention for food, permanent retention for implantable device records, and a process to stop promotion and report immediately if a risk is identified — mirroring the platform duties that apply to your distribution partner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the baseline rule for what can be sold online in China?

A: Article 13 of the E-Commerce Law requires that goods and services meet personal and property safety and environmental protection requirements, and bars the sale of anything Chinese law prohibits from trading. Platforms discovering violations of Articles 12 or 13 must take immediate measures and report to authorities.

Q: What fines do platforms face for failing to verify sellers?

A: Platforms that fail to verify and retain seller qualification information face an order to correct within a time limit. If they fail to comply, fines run RMB 20,000–100,000; in serious cases, RMB 100,000–500,000 plus possible suspension of business under the E-Commerce Law.

Q: When did the new food e-commerce rules take effect?

A: The Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Food Sales (SAMR Order No. 103) took effect December 1, 2025. They require platforms to file within 30 working days of telecom approval, conduct substantive license reviews archived for at least 2 years, and keep order data at least 3 years.

Q: What happens if a seller uses a fake food license?

A: Using a fake or another party's food business qualification to enter an online platform triggers a warning plus a RMB 10,000–30,000 fine. In serious cases the fine rises to RMB 30,000–100,000, and where harmful consequences result, RMB 100,000–200,000 under the 2025 Measures.

Q: Can food listings claim health or treatment benefits?

A: No. Information on origin, ingredients and functions must be true and lawful, and claims involving disease prevention or treatment functions are expressly prohibited, as are false or misleading statements. Displayed label information must also match the actual product, except dynamic content such as production dates.

Q: What must a medical device listing display?

A: The seller's business license or filing certificate must appear on the homepage, and the product's registration certificate or filing document on the product page. Certificate numbers must be shown in text form, not images, so regulators and consumers can verify them against official databases.

Q: What is the criminal threshold for selling protected wildlife products?

A: Under Criminal Law Article 341 and the judicial interpretation, illegal sale of nationally protected wildlife or products valued at RMB 20,000–200,000 carries up to 5 years imprisonment; RMB 200,000–2,000,000 carries 5–10 years; above RMB 2,000,000 carries 10 or more years.

Q: Are referral rewards or distributor programs legal in China?

A: Only if compensation attaches to genuine product sales. Headhunting-based pay, entry fees and team-based commissions are prohibited pyramid schemes. Organizers face RMB 500,000–2,000,000 fines plus confiscation; providers of venues, goods or internet services face RMB 50,000–500,000.

Q: Which advertising categories are banned or require pre-approval online?

A: Internet advertising of tobacco — including e-cigarettes — and prescription drugs is prohibited. Advertisements for health food, special medical use formula, infant formula and medical devices must pass pre-publication review before being released under the 2023 Internet Advertising Measures.

Q: How can a US brand verify its products are compliant before listing?

A: Start by classifying the product against prohibited and restricted categories, then confirm the Chinese license or filing, display requirements and claim limits for its category. CnBusinessHub can help evaluate your options and coordinate with qualified local professionals to map the pathway before you commit.

Conclusion

Three takeaways for US sellers entering Chinese e-commerce:

1. Prohibition is absolute; restriction is procedural. Wildlife products and tobacco advertising are off-limits with criminal or heavy penalties, while food and medical devices are sellable with licenses, filings and strict display rules — the distinction determines your entire market-entry plan.
2. Platforms are your first regulator. With fines of RMB 20,000–500,000 for verification failures, platforms screen listings harder than ever, so your documentation must pass their review before regulators ever look.
3. Retention and claims are ongoing obligations. Two-year and three-year record rules, permanent device records and pre-reviewed advertising mean compliance is a system you maintain, not a box you check once.

For personalized guidance on your China e-commerce licensing pathway, contact the CnBusinessHub advisory team at consult@CnBusinessHub.com to book a consultation.

Written by the CnBusinessHub Advisory Team, China market-entry advisors since 2019 — 1,500+ foreign enterprises guided across 16+ cities.

Last updated: 2026-10-11 | Next review: April 2027

Sources

1. E-Commerce Law of the PRC — National Laws and Regulations Database
2. Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Online Food Sales (SAMR Order No. 103) — Ministry of Justice
3. Food Safety Law of the PRC — FAOLEX
4. Measures for the Supervision and Administration of Medical Device Network Sales (2018) — National Medical Products Administration
5. SPC-SPP Interpretation on Criminal Cases of Damaging Wildlife Resources — Supreme People's Court Gazette
6. Prohibition of Pyramid Selling Regulations (State Council Decree No. 444) — Ministry of Commerce
7. Published Typical Online Pyramid Scheme Cases — Guangdong Provincial Market Regulation Administration (via Shanwei Honghaiwan Economic Development Zone Government)
8. Measures for the Administration of Internet Advertising (2023) — Ministry of Justice

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